Issue 2
News
Galgo Español –what are they
and why do I care?
Written by Susan Ligotti – Scooby North America Board Member
Galgos are similar in appearance to Greyhounds, but are distinctly different in
their conformation. Galgos are higher in the rear than in the front, and have flatter
muscling than a Greyhound, which is characteristic of endurance runners. They also
tend to be smaller, lighter in build, have longer tails and have a very long,
streamlined head that gives the impression of larger ears. Their chests are not as deep
as a Greyhound's and should not reach the point of the elbow [1]
Unlike Greyhounds, Galgos come in two coat types: smooth and rough. The
rough coat can provide extra protection from skin injuries while running in the field.
They come in a variety of colours and coat patterns. Main colours are "barcino" or
"atigrado" (brindle), "negro" (black), "barquillo"(golden), "tostado"(toasted),
"canela" (cinnamon), "amarillo"(yellow), "rojo"(red), "blanco" (white),
"berrendo" (white with patches) or "pío" (any color with white muzzle and forehead).
Due to their primary role as hunting dogs in the Spanish countryside, the
Spanish Galgos are sometimes treated a little better than commodities. However,
some people argue that Galgos are mistreated and abused in their native Spain.
Galgueros (breeders), as they are normally called, will often select puppies from a
litter that show the most propensities for hunting or racing, while abandoning the rest
in the streets. The puppies that do get selected often do not live very long lives, as the
1
Galgueros often consider the dog too old to hunt once it has achieved two or three
years of age. Often after hunting season ends, they are either abandoned, shot, or
hanged.
This is a statue in Medina Del Campo as a tribute to the sport.
For all these reasons, many associations in defence of the Galgo have appeared
with the aim to save these dogs from a terrible fate, and provide much needed
rehabilitation, and adoptive homes, usually in the cities. Some associations will adopt
them to other locations in Europe, including France, the UK, Germany, Belgium and
the Netherlands. These transports leave Scooby Medina a few times a month to bring
dogs all over Europe.
2
Scooby North America brings over as many as we can. SNA has partnered
with GPAC for over 4 years now and have placed numerous Galgos in Atlantic
Canada.
Because they tend to be quiet and docile, Galgos make very nice house pets. In
Spain they have a well-earned reputation as gentle dogs, with sweet temperaments
and solid health. They tend to get along well with people and other dogs, and they
can be well-behaved around cats if properly socialized. Outside of sunny Spain, they
require a warm coat to keep them warm in cold winter weather. Like all greyhoundtype breeds, they have little body fat and short coats, so extra warmth is preferred for
colder climates. They are very adaptable and have settled into Canada well.
Hunting season in Spain runs from November to February.
world Galgo day and the end of hunting season.
February 1st is
In my first trip to Spain I arrived the second week of March 2014. The weather
was still cold and rainy. I went then because I was told it was a very busy time at the
Scooby Medina Shelter and it’s an “all hands on deck” time. The shelter staff has
worked very hard with the local Galgueros to get them to not only surrender their
dogs to them, but to make a donation towards their continued care. It doesn’t always
work and many dogs end up in the Perreras or killing stations. These are local
shelters that euthanize dogs fairly quickly.
Many groups pull dogs from these
stations on a regular basis. In many cases, we need to pay them to get the dogs out.
The days are very long, usually 7:00 a.m. until dusk. The days fly by and they are
spent cleaning (lots of poop) and feeding and socializing with the dogs.
I have gone back a few more times since that first trip. Many other board
members fly over for a two day trip to bring dogs back. Some even enlist their
spouses.
Scooby Medina is located on 90 square meters and is comprised of various
areas. There are the quarantined areas of paddocks where dogs that have been
medically cleared and reserved stay until they are transported. There are tile
paddocks as well as dirt floor paddocks. Smaller ones can house 6 dogs and the
larger ones up to 30. Dogs are evaluated for temperament prior to entering their
paddocks. Galgos, unlike greyhounds, are very social. They like to be near each
3
other and often times will sleep in a pile. They have a medical clinic where they
have a full time vet. Scooby Medina also has pastures where they have sheep, horses,
donkeys, chickens, ducks and geese. There is a swan who was brought in injured,
has been rehabilitated and has refused to leave.
The lives of Galgos are dramatically improved the moment they are reserved to
come to the U.S. and Canada. If they are lucky, I pick them up from JFK Airport.
Once I get them our first stop is the “SPA” for a much-needed bath. Then it’s time to
unwind from their trip. I generally keep them for a few days before they head north.
The really lucky ones get to spend some time on the beach in New Hampshire before
heading to Maine and then across into Canada.
4
5
So what can you do? Scooby North America is always in need of flight
patrons. That can be as easy as donating miles to of our volunteers to fly over and
back from Spain. We typically fly into New York or Chicago. So if you have enough
mileage for a one way or round trip international ticket, let us know.
We can fly
anyone going over into Madrid and can connect. On the return we can only fly a few
airlines (American, Iberia, and Air Europa) and those flights must be direct. We do
that for the safety and comfort of the dogs.
Other ways you can help are to go to Europe and make Madrid your last stop,
then fly via JFK. We can attach dogs to your ticket (again using the above airlines)
and our volunteers will assist you with the dogs and someone will meet you outside
customs in NY. It’s a pretty easy process and since we have done it so many times,
we kind of have it down.
Donate funds. 99% of all donations made to Scooby North America go directly
to the dogs. (I left out the 1 % for fees.) We also take donations of leads, collars and
coats. (Keep in mind that coats are bulky so unless you want our volunteers to wear
the same clothes their entire trip keep those to a minimum.)
And here is the perfect reason to donate
6
Before
After
Special Note to all GP Newfoundland Members
Gaylene has teamed up with Brenda Wile, owner of Greyt Petwear in Nova
Scotia. The folks in Newfoundland have a terribly difficult time finding any
type of clothing that will fit a greyhound so she has recently taken on a little
project to help the greys of Newfoundland! She is now selling greyhound
clothing out of her home so the hounds in Newfoundland will be stylin’ and,
more importantly, they won’t freeze! Check out her brand new Facebook
page ‘Greyt Petwear in Newfoundland’ and if you don’t see what you want,
there’s a good chance she can get it in for you!
7
The Branding of GPAC NB
Well I have to admit when I was originally asked how we had done this I drew a complete
blank and experienced a three-week bout of writer’s block (shocking considering how chatty I
am). How we had done what, you ask? “How to set up a GPAC branch and have people
associate their brands with ours.” All I could come up with was it just happened . . . with a bit
of luck, determination and awesome volunteers. Let’s elaborate shall we?
I am sure many of you are familiar with the laws of attraction theories presented in “The
Secret” by Rhonda Byrne. For those who are not, basically the “law of attraction” is putting
your goals out into the universe and focusing only on having those goals realized, and the
universe will align and make them possible. In the case of GPAC NB it started about two
years ago when we adopted our first greyhound with GPAC on the very day we had the
famous GPAC training around Jeanette’s table. As we were getting ready to leave with our
newly found family member Jeanette said, “Maybe you could help us out in NB? We have
some great people there but we need someone to help pull it together.” I agreed to help out
before I left having no idea the two year ride I was in for.
We were not home with our new friend very long before the first annual Moncton Pet Expo
happened. GPAC was pushed into the limelight in NB, with this event being one of the
beneficiaries. This event brought New Brunswick and regional volunteers out of the
woodwork. I used the event to meet the folks in NB and also to get the volunteer list updated.
After the success of the Expo most of us were on a high, having felt that we were about to reestablish the GPAC name here in NB.
Charged with the task of bringing the GPAC name back into the forefront in NB by Jeanette, I
used the energy created by the Pet Expo to establish our presence in one pet store. Being the
co-sponsor of the Pet Expo, it was logical to approach the owner of the local PetValu about
doing Meet and Greets in his location on Mountain Road. Luckily for us he accepted our
request and we have been holding regular meet and greets in his store ever since. With this
small effort we managed to place a few dogs in NB and also gain some much needed face time
with the community, giving us the opportunity to educate people about the GPAC program and
our approach to adoption.
After about 3 months of being involved in doing Meet and Greets at the PetValu, GPAC NB
was invited to take part in a cat show put on by a local cat club. I had never been to a cat
show in my life and wasn’t sure how it would all work out. We were not permitted to take our
dogs because they could distract from the competing kitties. I wasn’t sure how sleeping
hounds would distract them, however I didn’t question it. The show was two days long and
8
we had a full kennel of dogs at the time so we blanketed our booth with pics of pups looking
for homes and education materials about our program. We had lots of traffic at the event,
being the only dog booth in sight! Then two applications came out of the event, proving that
you have to take what the universe sends to you as an opportunity to journey forward. As a
side note the cat show was a blast!
The cat show was also a stepping stone for a new partner to come on board. At this event we
were approached by the owner of Global Pet Food NB and asked why we were not doing Meet
and Greets in his stores. The Global team had been watching us at the PetValu and liked our
approach to adoption education and wanted to give us another platform to showcase our
program. We started off our journey with Global by having monthly meet and greets in the
Moncton store and quickly increased our visits to include the Dieppe store. There is also an
opportunity to expand this relationship as our volunteer base increases in other communities
across the province.
GPAC NB is always looking for ways to get the word out and such was the case when we
were approached by Funny Fundraisers. Funny Fundraisers is a company owned by a
comedian in Halifax who plans fundraising events for organizations. How it works is that
funny fundraisers supplies the comedian(s), you sell the tickets and keep all the profits over
the cost of their production. Being so far away from the kennel and the larger volunteer base
we didn’t want to venture out on our own without ensuring there would be local support. I
reached out to Cathy Hiscock, owner of Maritime Pet supply (and long-time GPAC supporter).
During the conversation Cathy had so much faith in the idea she wrote the deposit cheque for
the event! I am not sure Cathy knew what she was getting into BUT she must have had fun
because we are about to launch the second annual instalment of the GPAC comedy event!
Shhhhhh keep that quiet for now!
It would also be a huge mistake not to mention relationships that existed prior to this most
recent resurgence in NB, such as our continued relationship with the Moncton Kennel Club.
The MKC puts on two CKC dog shows annually. GPAC has been a permanent spot in their
shows and we are the ONLY adoption organization invited to their event.
It is also noteworthy that after the second annual Greater Moncton Pet Expo event organizers
were so impressed with the GPAC family and our conduct at their show that we have been
granted a permanent spot in the show! We were complimented for having the most
professional volunteers with the most wonderfully mannered dogs.
In conclusion, GPAC’s growth in NB started with a dream being put into the universe and the
universe answering that dream by putting people in our path when the time was right. I can’t
9
wait to see what the universe sends our way in the next year! Stay tuned for the developing
story.
10
Good News Story from PEI
On Sunday Nov 22nd the GPAC FB group heard the news that no Greyhound owner
ever wants to hear or experience. An 11 year old Greyhound named Lilly who was adopted
thru another adoption group had gotten loose from her home in the Charlottetown area.
Immediately our members were in contact with the group and were out helping to look for
Lilly. At this time we were in the middle of a horrible rain storm and then the temperature
dropped to 0 overnight.
On Wednesday afternoon, three days after she had gone
missing, the group finally had a sighting of Lilly when a passerby spotted her in a field laying
down and shaking, Through team work, dedication, a solid action plan and the power
of social media Lilly was finally reunited with her family after 4 days.
I would like to thank all the members of GPAC PEI for their thoughts and
prayers during this intense time and also extend a huge thank you to everyone who went out
and searched for this precious little girl. Lilly is doing great since returning home.
11
Hello from everyone here in PEI. We are very excited to have a submission this
time around for the GPAC newsletter. GPAC PEI has been very busy over the past
year with monthly Meet & Greets at various locations including the Charlottetown
Farmers Market, PetSmart and our new PetValue store.
In 2015 we have placed 8 greyhounds into their forever homes in PEI. We are
very pleased to announce that PEI has our very first Podenco - Bica - who has
found her forever home with Mary MacDonald. I’ve included some pictures
that show Bica is settling in very well in her new home with all her brothers and
sisters here in PEI.
I want to thank all of our volunteers as we could not do this without you.
GPAC PEI attended the Charlottetown Christmas Parade on Sat Nov. 28th. It was
a beautiful evening and a great time was had by all, plus the crowd LOVED the
dogs.
12
We held our GPAC PEI Christmas Social organized by Mary MacDonald on
Friday December 4th at a local restaurant. This is a perfect time for fellow grey
owners to come together and have some great conversation and
laughter about how our lives have changed for the better since adopting our greys. EDITORS NOTE: SPACE LIMITATIONS AND LACK OF TECHNICAL SKILL MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE
TO INCLUDE EVERY SUBMITTED ARTICLE. IN TIME, THE VISUAL PRESENTATION OF GPAC
NEWS WILL IMPROVE. BE PATIENT . . . IT CAN ONLY GET BETTER.
13
Christmas at the Glacier
Greyhound Pets NL attended ‘Christmas at the Glacier’ once again this year.
It was held from October 23 – 27 and it was an incredibly successful event.
Many, many volunteers gave of their time and brought their hounds out to
show them off and promote this most awesome breed. We sold dog collars,
sweaters and GPNL t-shirts, hats and jackets and the highlight of our booth,
aside from our beautiful retired racers, was a ticket sale on a $500 Costco Gift
Card – just in time for the holidays! We sold about 3300 tickets and the lady
that won at the end of the show was completely ecstatic!
Here are a few shots from the Glacier event, hounds and humans alike. We
raised over $5000 at this year’s event and it goes to show once again, that
without volunteers, these types of events would NEVER take place.
14
15
Greyhound Pets NL were fortunate again
this year to have a space in the Annual
Downtown St. John’s Santa Claus
parade. We dressed ourselves up in our
Santa hats and dressed our retired racers
in reindeer snoods and strutted the streets
of Downtown St. John’s and as always,
the greyhounds turned many heads and
had many folks taking pictures of these
beautiful creatures. There were about 16
greyhounds in total and they made a fine,
fine group of ‘Santa’s Little Helpers!’
Santa Claus would be so proud!
16
Living With a Special Needs Greyhound:
The Challenges and Rewards
Once again we found ourselves in the midst
of a family discussion, as to whether we
could offer him the appropriate home, given
his perceived special needs. Our primary
worry was the fact that we lived in a multilevel home, appropriate for living with dogs,
but still there was laminate flooring, ceramic
tiles and three sets of carpeted stairs.
Although we have a large fenced property,
there is a flight of steps to the backyard.
Upon realizing that Titan’s birthday was
March 12th, which was the date of Sophie’s
bridge crossing, the irony did not escape us
and we took it as a sign. It was unanimous,
and we were determined that we would
make it work.
Titan underwent his rear leg amputation on
September 22, 2014, and arrived in NL on
October 16, 2014. This past year has been
challenging, but we are committed to his
rehabilitation, both with respect to his
mental and physical state, to ensure he can
live a long, full and happy life.
My husband, teenage son and I have share
our lives with three Greyhounds: Dash,
Douglas and Titan.
On March 12, 2014, our very senior black
Labrador Retriever Sophie crossed the
bridge, leaving a void in our hearts. After
Sophie’s passing, while watching a video of
a Hound Day in 2014, we saw being lifted
off the hauler this smaller Greyhound with a
broken leg and a make-shift cast. That
essentially set the wheels in motion.
After a family discussion, we applied to
adopt Titan (U Too Titan Up), anticipating a
period of recovery from his bone fusion
surgery. Unfortunately, the surgery was not
successful and we received the news that his
rear leg would have to be amputated.
17
Titan is not like other dogs; he is a special
needs dog. The following is a list of some
challenges that our home sometimes
presents to him and how we help him
overcome them:
attending Meet and Greets, and has just
passed the testing to become a St. John
Ambulance Therapy Dog. He can run like
the wind in his garden chasing flies, leaves
and sometimes even his tail when his
options are limited.
• He cannot/will not walk on slippery
surfaces (so we placed rubber-backed
mats everywhere).
• He cannot/will not go up or down
stairs (so we carry him).
• He cannot walk for an extended
period (so we cap his walks at 45
minutes).
• He sometimes pees on his front legs
and poops on his rear leg (so we keep
a jar of wipes by the door).
• Phantom pain (so we wake him and
wave our hand over the “empty
space”).
• He is not kennelled for fear of injury
to other legs (thankfully this was not
an issue but we did sleep on the couch
with him until he became settled).
• When he gets really excited and
bouncy, he can lose his balance and
fall over (we’re working on that one).
The decision to bring a dog into your home
is a big commitment. There are always
challenges, whether you adopt a healthy dog
or a special needs dog.
It takes time,
commitment and love.
Maybe our special needs boy cannot do
everything that other dogs can do, but some
dogs cannot do everything that he can do
either. Our special boy has some needs, but
has overcome many obstacles in his young
life, and I have no doubt he will face the
future with tail wagging, sloppy kisses and
bouncing, bouncing, bouncing. It’s better to
hop on three legs than limp on four.
Chris, Kim and Clarke Noseworthy, owned
by Dash, Douglas and Titan
Titan is a loving, happy, bouncy boy, whose
zest for life makes our hearts soar. His
Greyhound brothers Dash and Douglas were
kind, respectful, patient and protective of
him since day one. They’re a bonded pack.
In comparison to the small list of challenges
that his disability sometimes presents, the
list of things he can do despite this is
exhaustive! He enjoys car rides, walks and
group walks with his Greyhound friends,
18
Greyhounds and Small Pets – Living
Together
personality of dog or cat will fit in with your
current group. The dogs and cats currently
in your home take priority; they must be
comfortable and they need to trust that you
will be their advocate when deciding on the
new family member. A prime example: our
oldest dog Jackson is an SPCA special and
he prefers females. He prefers females of
the human variety but most importantly he
prefers females of the canine variety. He is
the reason we have only adopted females
since he has been in our family. He tolerates
male dogs when we are out and about but if
he’s going to have to live with you, he
would like you to be a female. Another
example is our Nora, who doesn’t like dogs
who come up into her face to say hello first,
so a pushy, high energy dog like a border
collie or a duck toller would not be the right
fit for her.
Nora is our second greyhound. We were
previously owned and loved by Lola, who
came to us from another greyhound rescue
group.
My biggest concern when we
brought Lola home, and subsequently Nora,
was how they would interact with our cats
and smaller dogs. I think a lot of people
assume that we just lucked out, that we
ended up with two greyhounds that were
both cat safe and tolerant of dogs of all sizes.
I would say that the harmony in our home
comes from a combination of choosing the
right dogs, introducing them at the right time
and in the right way, and being vigilant in
watching and interpreting how they interact
in our home.
Long before Lola or Nora came into our
home, I had lengthy conversations with both
my veterinarian and my trusted dog trainer
about the idea of bringing a greyhound into
our family. I’m a planner by nature; I like to
be prepared. I wanted to have as much
information as I could before I made the
decision to bring a new dog into the mix,
especially a greyhound, with their unique
background and breed characteristics. They
both gave me invaluable advice, and I hope
that something you read here might help you
along the way if you too are hoping to
become a home with a greyhound and other
pets.
The biggest piece of advice I can give is that
you must be consciously aware and
watching the dogs at all times, especially in
those early days. Nora was never out of
either my or my husband’s line of sight
when she first came home. If we couldn’t
watch her, she was in her crate with a bone
or her kong.
This helped avoid any
accidents inside, but it also meant we could
see what she was doing and watch how she
was interacting with Jackson, Riley, and the
cats. We use baby gates as an easy way to
keep the dogs in the area of the house that
we are in. She also dragged a leash in the
house for the first month. That way I could
easily grab her, especially because at first
she did not respond to her new name (which
The first thing you can do is take an honest
inventory of your home and decide what
19
changed, but it does take time). When she
was in the presence of the small dogs or cats
and she was paying them appropriate
attention, she was rewarded with treats and
lots and lots of love and praise. I wanted her
to understand the behaviours we were
looking for from her. If she was staring too
hard, chasing, or rough housing in a way I
wasn’t comfortable with, I redirected her to
a behaviour that I wanted. She was never
reprimanded for any negative behaviour;
instead we refocused her onto a behaviour
that we could reward her for.
new environment and for that reason, we’ve
always respected that year as the minimum
time to wait in between new additions. We
added a new puppy this past February and
Kinsey, like all puppies, is notorious for
being obnoxious and in your face at all
times. We worked with both Nora and
Kinsey from the day that Kinsey joined our
family. Nora was rewarded heavily anytime
that Kinsey was even in her general vicinity
and Kinsey was rewarded for being calm
and giving Nora her space. We set them
both up to succeed from that very first day
and it’s funny because the two of them have
actually become quite good friends. I think
perhaps Nora has appreciated all of the extra
treats she has received since Kinsey has
come to join our family!
I also spent time teaching the two little dogs
that they needed to respect Nora’s space.
Nora doesn’t want to cuddle with them or
spend time laying together on a dog bed, and
that’s perfectly understandable and okay.
We worked with them to give her space
when she was lying down or tired. They too
got rewarded when they made the right
choices and they pretty quickly got to
understand when Nora wanted her space.
In a multi dog household I think it’s
important that each dog gets individual
attention and time with each parent. One of
the ways that I love to bond with a new dog
is through training classes. No matter the
age of your dog or the breed, obedience
classes should be on your “must do” list in
those first few weeks. I have taken all of my
dogs through the same basic obedience class
and I learn something new every time! You
will never develop a faster bond and trust
with a new dog than you will in those
classes and practicing those newly acquired
skills at home. They are teaching you and
your dog life skills you will need, how to
call your dog to you, how to refocus their
attention on you and away from a
stimulating environment and how to be
handled and examined at a vet office. Plus
We waited two and a half years to bring
another dog into our home after Nora. Nora
wouldn’t have been ready any earlier than
that. She was shy and nervous and it took
her a long, long time to come completely out
of her shell. One of the most helpful things I
was told when I began looking at having a
multi-pet household, was to give each new
dog or cat their space to settle in, relax and
show you their personality before trying to
add another one to the mix. In my personal
opinion, a dog or a cat needs at least a year
for them to feel completely at home in their
20
you get time to ask questions of a certified
trainer. They can help you with situations
you might be having at home and you get to
learn from the others in the class. Nora and
I bonded very strongly during our class time
together and it really laid the groundwork
for her connection to me at home.
couch, I’m keeping tabs to make sure
everyone is comfortable and has enough
space to move around without issue. If one
of them is feeling under the weather, they
get their own space and time so that they
aren’t bothered by the others. We have
made sure that there is an abundance of toys
and beds and water dishes so that resources
aren’t something they have to feel
competitive about. They have their own
designated spots to eat their meals and they
know the routine of whose dish goes down
first and to sit and wait their turn. We walk
them together and separately so they are
accustomed to both and they are each belted
safely into their own spots in the car so that
they can travel safely and we can keep our
eyes on the road. Each of these things might
seem like a small detail on its own, but they
add up to an environment where every dog
feels safe in their place in our home.
For Nora’s interaction with the cats, we let
the cats lead the way as much as we could. I
watched the cats for signs of stress, and if
they weren’t comfortable, I moved Nora
away from them and gave her a new activity
or toy to take her attention. The one big
benefit a cat has over a dog is their ability to
jump and move into smaller and higher
spaces. Give your cats spaces that they can
go where the dogs cannot have access. We
do this in a couple of ways. We give them
tall cat climbing structures that the dogs
cannot get onto, and we’ve created “cat
corners”, areas in our home where there are
catnip toys, tents for the cats to hide in, soft
beds for them to enjoy, all protected behind
a baby gate so that they feel safe enough to
relax and not have to worry about a dog
coming by to disturb them. Our cats choose
to be with us and the dogs most of the time,
but when they’ve had enough or they are
looking for quiet, they have choices of
places they can go.
It does take a lot of time, it takes
consistency, it takes patience, but I think the
end result is worth it.
Nora has now been with us for just over
three years. To this day I am cautious.
When they are all playing, I am with them
and participating. When they are running in
our yard, I am outside with them watching.
When they are relaxing on their beds or the
21